Video and media streaming from a geographically remote server is technologically problematic and difficult to accomplish in a user optimal fashion. Placing the media content to be streamed at a far-removed location of a wide area network or the world wide web (www) results in a complex and time consuming traversal through a large number of data processing nodes, when a user requests streamed access to the media sought for real-time presentation of the content, whether it is audio content or video content, or some other kind of multimedia content. The user desiring a video or media presentation or performance makes a video- or media-specific file request by specifying a stream and file name to the remote server. If the path is broken, an error message is returned and no media presentation occurs. Even if the path is secure, the presentation may be delayed undesirably.
To avoid technical problems such as delays and inadvertent media terminations, a media entity may choose to employ a plurality of media servers which may be geographically distributed close to clients requesting media presentations. A request to stream particular media may then provoke a response which provides the user with a palette of media server choices for service from any of a number of geographically specific locations. Unfortunately, the user has no way of anticipating prior to the streaming request, whether a particular location of a server provides improved media access and presentation. Such anticipation is impossible, because geographically proximate server may be more heavily loaded and thus slower than a lower loaded server in another country situated in another time zone which lies in the evening hours, for example. Accordingly, the user has only the appearance of a choice, because there is no meaningful criterion which may be exercised by which the user can determine whether the choice made is likely to produce enhanced media streaming service.
It is accordingly desirable to make video and media streaming services more readily, more quickly and transparently available to the user.